After children’s book author Joanne Rocklin sent me a read-aloud video for her May 5 release of Good Guys, Bad Guys, a picture book about conquering fears through dress up and role-playing, I had to use it for a #FamiliesWrite activity. (We always had dress-up costumes in the house when my kids were young.)

Then I saw that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first Harry Potter book, is now a read-aloud, too. A new chapter will be read aloud by a different actor each week at the Harry Potter at Home site. (Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrayed Harry Potter in the films, read the first chapter on May 5.) This brought back memories of all the kids (now adults) who dressed up as Harry Potter characters when each new book came out. Cue the cosplay! Costume play is a great way to work through emotions—and just have fun.

Act It Out

Young children can get their wiggles out by dressing up in costume and performing a read-aloud story (in person or over a video chat app like FaceTime) as someone else reads the words.

Black Panther

Travel to the land of Wakanda by making a Black Panther no-sew costume with a mask, an Erik Killmonger no-sew costume with a chest plate, or an Okoye no-sew costume with a spear.

Frozen

The family at Fun, Cheap or Free made DIY Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Hans, and Olaf costumes for the whole family. (They even dressed the dog up as Sven.)

Harry Potter

Transform into a Harry Potter character (Hedwig? Mandrake? Dobby? Take your pick!) with Country Living‘s roundup of 22 DIY costumes for everyone from babies to teens.

Star WarsCool Mom Pickslists 17 DIY Star Wars costumes for kids. Transform into Han, Leia, a baby Ewok, or BB-8. For those who use wheelchairs, there’s also the option of a TIE fighter costume.

Trolls

DIY Inspired explains how to make troll hair with headbands and tulle. Choose a color that matches your favorite troll music group and dress up for your own Trolls World Tour.